The Piercing Truth

This is right from the dictionary and seems to describe Albuquerque, Berry and Schultz. Fascism (f ash ,izem) noun An authoritarian right wing system of government and/or social organization. (in general use) extreme right wing, authoritarian, chauvinistic and/or intolerant views or practices. Fascism tends to include a belief in the supremacy of one group over another, national, ethnic, especially social strata or monetarily; a contempt for democracy, an insistence on obedience to a powerful leader, and a strong demagogic approach. Compliments of one of our Eyes

Jan 29, 2013

Schultz Executes and Deploys (Another) Failed Plan

About ten years ago, in 2003 the Albuquerque Police Department was awash in scandal involving evidence room thefts and tampering, sexual liaisons between SED personnel and deputy chiefs, supervisory misconduct, and a manpower shortage that seemed to be as bad as it could get. To say the department was in crisis was not an overstatement. But put in today’s context, those issues seem relatively mild. A mere bump in the road. Now the storm has come full circle and this time APD’s chief of police Ray Schultz is subject to a true neutralizer on the playground: the US Department of Justice

Now it seems another federal agency has entered the fray: The US Department of Labor. In response to the manpower crisis facing the department in 2003, APD launched the ReHire program. In this program they offered to rehire recent retirees back on the police force. The department wasn’t getting enough applicants to fill even one academy a year (sound familiar? We are told there are less than 10 cadets in the current class) but rehires liked the idea. Here we had experienced personnel who could come back and be police officers.

Over time rehires found positions throughout the department. They were no longer just on patrol but they were assigned specific positions by, you guessed it, Ray Schultz. Yet while there were some rehires that were given these special perks, it seems Schultz only did this for select friends. For the vast others (there are upwards of 100 rehires in the department today) they were left to contend with positions on patrol. Unless you were a protected by Schultz you got where you were sent and that was it.

This scenario proved unacceptable to most of the rehires and they petitioned the city and the APOA for change. They said they were being discriminated against because there were two sets of standards: one set for non-rehires and another set for rehires. Schultz and the APOA shrugged them off, and being that they are cops, they did not go away. In fact they went to the EEOC and filed a complaint of age discrimination against APD/Schultz and the APOA.

Well, after almost two years of arguing and counter arguments the EEOC issued their determination on the matter. The EEOC has found that the City/Schultz and the APOA have in fact discriminated against the rehires as a class and the employees have been deprived of certain opportunities and burdened with additional costs solely because of their age.

The scale of this decision cannot be under estimated. Because of poor, if not illegal, planning and deception by the APD’s Ray Schultz, and the APOA, have now burdened the taxpayers with liability on a scale that almost defies belief. All of the rehires now have a standing claim of discrimination against the city and the APOA for their practices.While we know the issue of rehires is very controversial amongst APD officers and we at the Eye do not take sides in this matter because each side has valid claims. However we believe all officers should be treated equally regardless of their immutable characteristics and their one common trait: their blood is blue.

Mayor Berry and CAO Perry, you were aware of these issues yet you chose to retain the primary offender in this mess: Ray Schultz. While he executed and deployed the failed plan that has now burdened the taxpayers with this mess, you failed to act make things right. Now you will have to restructure everything from the entire bid, to current specialized unit assignments, from pay disparity to PERA contributions. And you will have to adjust things retroactively...

34 comments:

Anonymous
said...

There are two positives out of this report.

First, Schultz again has mismanaged the department and will again cost the citizens more money. At some point in time the citizens are going to be fed up with him and Berry and their mismanagement and hopefully in October vote them out.

Second, the rehires have cooked their goose. The ones who are here might sue and get some money. Or they could sue and lose again (like they did in 2008). Either way I just spoke to a legislator in Santa Fe and asked him his thoughts. He stated this is why you will not see any rehire bill making it through the legislature ever again. He said all they do is sue, bite the hand that feeds them and the legislators are sick of them.

So this is a win win. Another black eye for Schultz and Berry and the rehire bills are already dead in the water.

9:46 Keep posting and showing everyone your ignorance. Change the word rehire to any other gender, race, ethinic group and it will show how biased your dumb ass is. Your envy drips off you words of hate. The rehire program was the best thing invented and I wish every 34 (me) had the chance to work it, but idiots like you ruined it for all. Why do you care if they are getting a pension from PERA, you don't care if they are getting a military pension or a pension from some other state. Keep posting so we all know who you really are since you won't wear your white sheet in public any more.

Most rehires are great assetts to APD. The few that are sluggards have at least earned their keep. Whats the excuse of those that have less then 5 years on making $60,000 a year and are lazy complainers. These are the ones APD needs to get rid of. 90% of the coppers are hard workers, its the 10 % that give everyone else a bad name

Rehires are their own best friend. To read some of the comments on this blog you would think they are the best cops ever. This was a bad idea. The public spoke very clearly about doing away with it. You can say it is envy if it makes you feel better but at the end of the day the rehire program is over. Statewide there are only 1,000 rehires left, most are not cops but that doesn't matter. APD is the only agency who depended upon them for 10% of their staff. In another 5 years I doubt any rehires are left. So bye bye. We did fine before we had rehires and we will do fine after you are all gone. So get in front of your mirror and keep telling yourself how great you are, no one but you believes it or cares.

I hope there is a day where rehires either all work FSB or quit. Having 10% of all officers causing such a distraction to all the other officers is bad. Like the other poster said the rehire program is dead and not coming back. If the ones here want to sue for discrimination get to court and get it on, but please quit complaining to everyone about how bad you have it and how great you were. We all have a job to do and none of us really give a crap about rehires anymore. I have just a couple years left and I will retire from this place. I would like to leave happy but the whining from rehires and those who don't like rehires is getting old. Not a fun place to work anymore everyone complains, I guess me included.

The folks with military retirements or retirements from other states still had to complete formal training, whether it was a full academy or a lateral academy. If a "re-hire" wishes to return, have them go through the same process as other retirees do.

The age discrimination is bullshit. APD has military and law enforcement retirees of other agencies that completed mandatory training similar to a new hire and they are older then many re-hires.

There are those that retired in order to come back under the rehire program simply for the monetary benefit and guarantee of special assignment.

If you want to make it fair, have those that were re-hired and placed into specialized units, without having to return to the field, vacate their position and go to the field. Then open the position and allow for a fair process to fill the position. I'm sure that some re-hires will be selected but others would not.

Just like the re-hires want fair treatment, every non re-hire wants the same. If it is a fair process, the majority of folks will accept it, but it has never been fair.

Everyone working at the city pretty mucb has very low morale and if they're near retirement age they want to put this behind them. Never has there been so much *I'm better than you smarter than you make more money than you * eleitist attitude from managers on up. The mayor has set that tone along with Schultz and little horn -tooter Perry.

"We did fine before we had rehires and we will do fine after you are all gone." And that is why Schultz wins. Instead dealing with the problem, Schultz, we aLl complain about the problem's effects. Never has a place been run so poorly, so arbitrarily, and so corruptly yet there are 34s still bitching at each other. And Olivas don't think we don't know what you tried to do last summer with this rehire mess and made it worse...

As an Albuquerque Police Officer I am ashamed that we are bashing other cops. I have had lots of experience working with rehire guys and whether they are inside or not I have nothing but good things to say about them. The ones I know dont "hide in the schools" or "do nothing" or are "just in it for themselves". I fully support them being treated just like all the rest of the patrolmen. I cant believe that this department eats its own even at the lowest levels. Have we really allowed this embarassment of an administration to trickle down to every corner of this department? Whatever happended to having eachother's backs? I am just like the rest of you, sick and tired of the bullshit and unfair practices of the Chief and all his cronies. But at a certain point we have to look around and realize that while the 5th floor has created and promotes a terrible work environment it doesn't mean that we have to follow along with that. The way to really piss off the 5th floor is to shitting all over eachother.

At last, a comment from a person with more than 10 living brain cells has been submitted! Exageration, I know. Actually, many of the comments here have been worthy of note, but many more have been on the level of school kids flinging meaningless taunts - "my daddy can beat up your daddy", "I know you are but what am I?", etc. And if the majority of the assinine comments posted here are posted by police officers, it's waaaay past time to put the crayons and coloring books away, kiddees! "Served and Protected" by a pack of juveniles biting and taunting each other? I feel ever so safe - not!

Here's one. Why was the top brass toasting the DOJ and disgustingly mocking getting over on them at the Ball last week? Did anyone else hear and see that spectacle of disrespectful behavior?

These people have gotten away with such atrocities that they are truly insane and think they can do anything. I only pray for this place that the DOJ cleans house in an unprecedented way and that a few top officials face charges over their actions the last few years. If nothing is done here it will be a sad day. The problem is the management and their lies, fabrications, and tampering with cases to the point of malicious prosecution and committing felonies to do it.

Can anyone confirm the rumor (or fact) that there will be a bill introduced at the legislature sunsetting all the current rehires. Here is what I heard. The bill will make current rehires decide by December 31 2013 whether they quit and continue their retirement, or continue as a rehire and their pension will be suspended until they quit.

How long can bills be introduced? Is there a place to check this? I know sneaky stuff gets through and it seems us rehires are always on the poop end of the stick. We have to watch our own backs. Post the website or phone number please.

Why can't people just be happy with their situation? Why can't people honor and respect each other any longer without worrying about who is getting what and when? Ya, the public does read this site and none of you negative whiners from other side are helping any of us! Worry about your performance. Worry about your business and give your 100% in your job. Stop bitching about each other already! We are bringing ourselves down!

@1:57 I'd love to just be happy with what I have but I could loose it all when DoJ pulls their funding because of all the crap a few at the top pulled. No funding means no way to keep paying all of us. I'll be needing help from friends and family to avoid being homeless while those who caused it ride off into the sunset, collecting their pensions, and saying I told you go ahead and sue, I'd be gone before it gets to Court.

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